Not Another Closet Story
by MusicalLuna1
Summary: Oh no, Not Another Closet Story! But wait: something's a little different. The circumstances are different this time. In Not Another Closet Story, will Mamoru and Usagi still be able to find what they're looking for?
1. Stuck Together

XDDDDD Okay, so I was scrolling through the Sailor Moon section here at looking for some stuff to read, and my eyes happend upon a story called, "Yet Another Closet Story." And in thinking about closet stories, it suddenly hit me that I wanted to do a closet story that was different from all the rest. So here you will find the rediculously long (I can't believe it Oo) and CHAPTERED story of a not so average closet story. I hope you enjoy.

And please, reviews, crit and non are welcome, but I would really appreciate crit! I don't have a beta reader because when I write is so unpredictable, so I have no one to read it and go, "GOOD HEAVENS WOMAN, WHAT A STUPID IDEA!" So let me know what you like, what you don't, all that jazz. And do enjoy. :) This first chapters a little short at 870 words, but I'm pretty sure all the subsequent chapters are around 2000 words, so have fun:D I may or may not update once a week, depending on how eager I get to post things...we're going to say one week now, but it may wind up being a heck of a lot more often. xDDDDDD

Anyway, on to the story!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, as sad as some of you may find that.

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The day had begun normally enough.

Mamoru and Usagi had run into one another as they both made their morning commutes, and a barrage of insults had followed the collision. Mamoru infuriated and hurt Usagi a little, and Usagi made Mamoru nervous and guilty. From there the day continued normally as they attended their individual classes and struggled to get through the day. It wasn't until seventh period at Usagi's high school that things began to go terribly, terribly wrong.

Usagi sank into her assigned seat, her eyes already drooping sleepily. English with Haruna-sensei was NOT the most interesting subject in a long line of uninteresting subjects. She was almost asleep when Haruna-sensei called them all to attention.

"Listen up! This afternoon we will be beginning a new tutoring program in collaboration with the KO University. Each of you will be assigned a student tutor from the University and you will spend the next two weeks working in collaboration with them to learn the materials for your next exam," she explained carefully.

Usagi couldn't help perking up at that. The studying part was boring, but if she got a really cute college guy for her tutor, this could be a lot of fun! She giggled to herself and quickly drifted off into a daydream about what her gorgeous college tutor would look like, completely tuning out Haruna-sensei. She sighed happily as she imagined him.

'He'll be tall…with golden hair, and cheerful green eyes…and when he looks at me while we study…he'll realize I'm the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, and he'll sweep me off my feet and kiss me senseless!' she giggled, blushing furiously at the thought. 'He sounds just like Motoki-Onii-san!'

"Usagi Tsukino! Snap out of it!" Haruna-sensei snapped, smacking a ruler down on her desktop with a snap. "Listen to me! This is important for you to hear!"

Usagi blushed and nodded vigorously, "Yes, ma'am. Sorry Haruna-sensei."

Haruna-sensei merely rolled her eyes and moved on. "Now, I'm going to tell you the name of your assigned partners and you'll meet them out in the courtyard to go off for your first session." She began listing off pairs of names and Usagi listened eagerly, waiting to hear the name of her new study buddy, hoping that she would get a cute guy.

All her hopes crashed down around her when Haruna-sensei read the name attached to her own.

"Tsukino Usagi… Chiba Mamoru."

"WHAT!" Usagi howled. "No way! Not that jerkwad!"

Haruna-sensei glared at her. "Please _sit down _Tsukino-san."

"But—but Haruna-sensei! I can't be his partner…!" she pleaded. "He hates me! We'll kill each other!"

Haruna-sensei showed no sympathy. "I'm sorry, Tsukino-san, you're just going to have to get along for the next two weeks. Your partners have been chosen." She turned away and finished listing off the names as Usagi sank back into her desk in a horrified stupor. Things simply could not get any worse.

That was, they couldn't until she actually came face to face with him.

Mamoru was waiting for her outside in the courtyard clutching an umbrella over his head along with the other college students milling around and waiting for their study buddies in the light drizzle. Usagi's heart sank when their eyes met. He was NOT happy to see her. These were going to be the worst two weeks of her _life_. "Oy, Odango Atama!" he called. She cringed. And so the decent in to hell began. Little did she know what lay ahead of her.

She raised her gaze to his and glared out from beneath her coat hood. "Don't call me that, Mamoru-baka!"

He shoved a hand in his pocket, eyeing her boredly. "Don't expect me to start calling you by your name just because we're doing this ridiculous tutoring thing, Odango."

She puffed up angrily, "Oooh! How could I have gotten stuck with a jerk like you?"

"I could ask the same about getting stuck with a ditz like you. And I'm supposed to tutor you? Please. It's not even possible," he drawled.

Usagi felt her face heat up with embarrassment and anger. "Well then DON'T tutor me, you jerk, if it's that much of a hopeless case!"

He sighed. "I WOULDN'T if I could get out of it…but it's required," he said, scowling resentfully.

"Well, I'm sorry to be such a burden!" she shot, doing her best to fight the tears she could feel coming on. She was NOT going to cry for real in front of this jerk. They stood there for a few more minutes, simply staring at one another coldly.

"Well, come on. Let's get this over with," he finallymuttered and headed out of the school gates.

Usagi's eyes widened, "Wait! Where are we going!"

"To my apartment!" he called back over his shoulder.

Usagi squeaked. They were going to be alone in his _apartment!_ "Why?" she cried, hurrying after him.

"Well, we have to study _somewhere_, Odango." He glanced back at her. "Hurry up and get under the umbrella already, would you? You're getting soaked."

Usagi paused for the briefest second. Mamoru concerned for her well-being? No…she must be misinterpreting him. She sped up and tucked herself beneath the umbrella beside him. Glancing up at him from the corner of her eye, she thought to herself, 'Well, he _is_ really handsome… It's a pity he's a suchjerk and hates my guts.'She sighed, still blissfully unaware of how bad her day was really going to get.

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	2. This Really Can't Be Happening

Hey guys. :D

Okay, so I realized that the first chapter really has nothing interesting in it whatsoever. Or at least nothing that makes you go, "OMJ I GOTTA FINISH THIS STORY." So I'm posting the second chapter, where some stuff happens, simply for interest's sake. :D I told you I would probably be easily persuaded into frequent updates. XDDDd

Oh! And I wanted to thank the three of you who have reviewed so far, I appreciate it so much:D I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!

Anyways, this is the second chapter. Let me know what you think!

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Disclaimer: No ownership of Sailor Moon here. :(

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The walk to Mamoru's apartment building was fairly short, and when they stepped into the lobby, he lowered the umbrella, shaking it out. "Come on," he said crossing to the elevator and smiling and waving at the desk man. "Hello Rayao-san, this is Tsukino Usagi, I'm going to be tutoring her for the next couple of weeks."

The desk man smiled warmly. "It's nice to meet you Tsukino-san."

She smiled, "It's nice to meet you too Rayao-san! I'll look forward to seeing you in the afternoons."

He grinned more broadly. "And I'll do the same. You have a good day. You too, Chiba-san."

Mamoru smiled and waved as they stepped into the elevator. He raised an eyebrow at Usagi when the doors had closed. "You'll 'look forward to seeing him in the afternoons?'"

Usagi blushed. "Yes! He seems very nice!"

"Odango, you just met the man. What do you mean 'he seems nice'?" he said skeptically.

"Just what I said! He seems nice! I get feelings about people," she said. "I'm always right, too!" she added proudly.

Mamoru smirked at her. "You've got to be the most naive person I've ever met, Odango."

She grinned, "Thank you!"

"It wasn't a compliment, Odango." Usagi's heart sunk. She should have known it was too good to be true. "So what feeling did you get from me?" he asked casually.

She heaved a sigh. "Oh, I forgot. I was wrong about you."

Mamoru looked surprised. "What?"

"I thought you looked smart, dashing, sweet and a little shy…then you opened your mouth," she said wryly. "I was really disappointed. I thought you might be—" Her cheeks turned pink. "Um. Yeah. I was wrong."

Mamoru eyed her consideringly for a moment, and then said, "See? It's stupid to rely on 'feelings'."

Usagi made a face and muttered, "Maybe when they involve _you_ it is."

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open, letting them on to the tenth floor. Usagi followed Mamoru a little ways down the hallway to a door marked "10E". "You live here all by yourself?" she asked curiously.

"Mmmhmm." He unlocked the door, letting them in and she stepped inside, gazing around as she slipped off her shoes.

"It's so neat…" she commented softly. That was probably an understatement. Mamoru's apartment was the neatest one she'd seen in her entire life. It was simply furnished with only one potted plant and otherwise was devoid of decoration. She hadn't expected it to look as it did, but somehow, it didn't surprise her one bit that his apartment was as austere as he was.

He smirked. "Why do I get the feeling you would think a dump would be neat?"

She turned, glaring at him. "Shut up, jerkface."

"You can put your coat in the closet."

Usagi sighed, shooting one more resentful look at him as she began peeling off her overcoat. It was heavy with rainwater. "Are you sure it's okay? It's wet…" she said.

"It's fine. Just try not to put it next to my green coat," he said heading into the kitchen, "And don't let the door shut behind you, you'll get locked in."

"Uh huh, okay…" Usagi, however missed the last part, busy trying to figure out how she could destroy the horrid green coat without his knowledge. She had seen him wear it hundreds of times and it was possibly the ugliest most disgusting article of clothing that had ever existed. Maybe she could just grab it and go throw it off the balcony. Any random passersby would be more than welcome to burn it as soon as their poor eyes noticed it lying on the ground. The world would be a better place without that wretched thing. Thinking along these lines as she put her coat on a hanger and adjusted things to put it on the rack, she didn't notice as the closet door slowly began swinging shut until it was too late. She was grinning evilly as she turned around to leave the closet, imagining cutting the green coat to tiny ribbons, and it was then as she turned the knob that she realized she was stuck. "Oh my gosh! MAMORU-BAKA!" she shrieked. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" She began banging her fists on the door frantically.

In the kitchen, Mamoru cringed as he heard her begin shrieking and banging on the closet door. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Jeez, Odango Atama, I _told_ you not to let the door shut behind you." He headed into the hall, calling, "Okay, okay! I hear you, jeez! Calm down, Odango!" He reached for the key in the handle of the door and turned it. There was a small snapping sound and he gaped at the end of the key, which was now resting uselessly in his palm. "Oh…_that's_ not good," he muttered. He tried the knob just in case, but no, it was _definitely_ locked and now the key was stuck _inside_ the lock.

"Mamoru-baka?" Usagi called, her voice quivering. "Why aren't you opening the door?"

"Uh…um… Usagi-chan, just sit tight, okay?" he said, trying not to sound panicked. How could the key be that weak!

"'Sit tight'? What do you mean 'sit tight'? Just open the door, Mamoru-baka!" she cried. Then, "USAGI-CHAN? Mamoru-baka what's wrong?" she wailed, realizing that he had used her given name.

"Um…it's not going to be that easy… Just—um—just stay calm, okay?" he said hesitantly. Oh man, he had a teenaged girl locked in his _coat closet_, for crying out loud!

"Mamoru-baka! Just let me out!" she screeched.

"I…I…can't."

"YOU _CAN'T!_"

"The key broke."

"_IT BROKE!_"

"I can't open the door."

"MAMORU-BAKA!" she shrieked, horrified.

Mamoru winced as the following wails echoed throughout his apartment. Man, that girl sure had a set of lungs on her! "Usagi-chan!" he shouted, "USAGI! Calm down! I can't think with you crying like that!"

Her sobs slowly quieted and she whimpered accusingly, "This is all your fault, baka!"

"My fault? Odango, you're the one who got yourself into this mess!" he snapped back. "I don't _want_ you here as much as you don't want to _be_ here!" A quiet whimper reached his ears and a wave of guilt washed over him. 'Stupid baka,' he thought, 'Watch your temper, she's already upset enough as it is.'

"What are we going to do now?" she asked pathetically. He sighed. It was _impossible_ to stay mad at her when she sounded like that.

"Well…I'm going to call the locksmith I guess. That's the only way we're going to get you out of that closet," he replied.

Why, oh, _why_ did these things happen to him?

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	3. Coming to Terms in the Closet

Hey guys! New chappie! Lol :D

**Ffgirlmoonie:** XDDDDDDD I had to respond to your comment about Mamoru's jacket. :D I know what you mean. I don't know why everyone hates it. It never really bothered me. I mean, if Mamoru's wearing it, doesn't that just automatically make it sexy? XD However, it does make for some amusing thoughts and conversations, so why not:)

I wanted to thank everyone else for all the fantastic comments too! My email had 19 comments from my stories today and I almost squeed out loud in our library I was so excited. XDDDDD So thank you very much! They make my day and make it that much more fun to write:D I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

I also wanted to let you know that I've mushed some of the chapters together, because I realized how tiny they really are. And that's not cool. So I condensed them a little, so if you're getting an update, it's worth it. :D

Anyway, hope you like it. :D

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Five minutes later Mamoru was on the phone, hissing furiously at the locksmith. "What do you mean you can't come for three hours? I need you _right now!_ …I don't care if the _Emperor_ needs you to fix the lock on his _car!_ I need you here RIGHT NOW." He listened for a few more minutes and then slammed the phone down on its cradle with a growl. They couldn't come. He tried a few other places, but either they couldn't, or wouldn't come. The shortest wait was three hours. What the heck happened to fifteen minute service! How was he going to break this to _Usagi?_

In the closet, Usagi had pressed herself against the door and was struggling to hear something out in the apartment, but it was fruitless. Mamoru was either being really quiet, was really far away, or he had totally abandoned her in his closet. Tears began welling up in her eyes as she thought about her current predicament. She was LOCKED in her worst enemy's COAT CLOSET! Who _knew_ how long she could be stuck in here. It was then that Mamoru's hesitant voice drifted through the door.

"Um…Usagi-chan? I called the locksmith, but…um…he won't be here for three hours," he said quietly.

Usagi moaned. What was she supposed to do for _three_ _hours?_

"I—um—I'm really sorry about this, Usagi-chan. I didn't think…well, I mean. Oh, _honestly_. Who gets themselves locked in a _closet?_" he demanded, frustrated.

Usagi forced back tears. "Well, obviously _I_ do, jerkface."

Outside the closet, Mamoru frowned and pressed his hands against the door, not far from where her palms were pressed to the wood. "Are you crying?"

"No! Of course I'm not crying!" she growled. "That would just be stupid!"

Mamoru stared at the door uncertainly. It sure sounded like she was crying… There was an awkward silence between them and finally Mamoru said, "Um…I'm going to try and find you something to eat, okay?"

Usagi nodded, cheered slightly by the thought of food, and then realized he couldn't see her. "Okay," she said softly.

Mamoru sighed and headed off into the kitchen, while Usagi curled up at the bottom of the closet, pushing a pair of obviously abandoned boots to the opposite corner. This was awful. She doubted she had ever had a day as lousy as this one.

Mamoru rifled through the refrigerator and the cabinets, searching for things flat enough to be slid beneath the door of the closet. After an invasive search of his entire tiny supply of food, he had put together a paper plate with cheese, crackers, and some M & M's he'd forgotten he had. He wrapped the plate in plastic wrap in order to attempt to keep it from getting too dirty as he passed it under the door.

Going back to the closet, he cleared his throat. "Uh, Usagi-chan? I brought you a snack."

"Thank you," was the quiet reply.

He knelt and carefully slid the plate under the door. It fit relatively easily and Mamoru couldn't help being a little proud of himself. He got to his feet and then realized he wasn't sure what he should do now. "Is it…is it okay?"

"It's great," Usagi replied, munching on the food, and peering at the crack of the door, where she could see Mamoru's shadow lingering just outside.

"Oh, good."

There was another long awkward silence as he stood, fidgeting outside the door. He wasn't just going to stand here for three hours, that was for sure, but he felt guilty just leaving her here. He was about to open his mouth to ask if it was alright if he went to go do some work or something when she spoke up again.

"Mamoru-kun," she said, her voice small and fragile sounding, "Please don't leave me alone."

He sighed, but knowing he couldn't refuse her, sank to the floor, leaning up against the closet door. "All right, Usagi-chan, I'm right here."

They were quiet for several more minutes and Mamoru let his eyes wander idly around the portion of the apartment he could see. He had never been so bored in his life. He could hardly imagine how the hyperactive girl in the closet must be feeling. Finally, she spoke again, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Mamoru-kun?" she whispered, almost too quietly for him to hear. "I'm really sorry."

He frowned. "What are you sorry about? It's not like you purposely locked yourself in there."

"I know, but still… You don't even like me and you already have to spend two weeks tutoring me...and now the first day I've gotten myself locked in your closet," she said.

Mamoru couldn't help smirking. "It's kind of funny. I don't think anyone but you could get themselves locked in a person's coat closet, Odango."

She huffed and let her head fall against the door, jarring his back and making him glance at the door in surprise. "I really wish you wouldn't call me that," she mumbled.

He swallowed. Well, he supposed he could at least give her that… "I'll try not to, Usagi-chan, but I offer no guarantees," he conceded.

When she spoke, he could hear the smile in her voice. "I would _really_ appreciate it."

He smiled. "Yeah, well, I guess it's the least I can do. You did get locked in my closet."

"I did." She looked around the small closet, the dim bulb hanging from the ceiling providing poor lighting. "It's kind of creepy in here," she murmured, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself.

Mamoru turned his head, smirking. "Well, I doubt there's anything in there that's going to do anything to you. Maybe a dust bunny or two."

Usagi's giggles filtered out from under the door, and Mamoru smiled. "Little dirty usagis..." she said.

Mamoru chuckled. "Exactly."

There was another brief silence and Usagi asked, "How long has it been?"

Mamoru glanced at his watch and sighed. "Twenty minutes."

Usagi groaned and curled up, covering her head. "I'm going to die in your coat closet, Mamoru-kun."

Mamoru couldn't help laughing. "I doubt you'll die Usagi-chan. It's only going to be another two hours and forty minutes."

She moaned. "That's so looooooong…"

He smirked. "Well then maybe you should think of something we can do."

"…You're going to stay with me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Usagi-chan, even if I am tempted to go occupy myself, it would be cruel of me to just leave you alone in the closet and even _my_ conscience would protest doing it. Besides, you asked me to stay, didn't you?"

Usagi smiled. "Maybe I was right after all," she said quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Mamoru said, turning toward the door.

Usagi grinned. "Oh nothing! Do you have any cards Mamoru-kun?"

"Cards? You mean playing cards?" he said.

"Yeah!"

"Uh, well, I think I have some somewhere… But what are you going to do with them?

"We'll play a game of course!" she exclaimed as though it were obvious (which it was).

Mamoru smiled. "Let me go look, I'll be right back," he said, getting to his feet. A few minutes later he returned, a pack of cards in hand. He slid down the door to sit and announced, "I've got the cards."

Usagi squealed, "Oh good!" and Mamoru smiled despite himself.

"What do you want me to do with them?" he asked.

"Shuffle them please, and then take seven cards for you and give me seven," she said, waiting eagerly for the cards to slip underneath the door.

"Can I look at yours?" Mamoru asked mischievously.

"NO! That's cheating!" she cried and he laughed.

"Okay, okay, I won't look Usagi-chan. All right, there are your cards," he said, passing them underneath the door.

Usagi picked them up excitedly, examining her hand. "Ooh, Mamoru-kun, I'm so going to beat you."

He laughed. "Oh, you think so? I'm a bit of a card player you might want to know. What are we playing anyway?"

Usagi grinned, trying not to giggle and said, "Go fish!"

Mamoru stopped in surprise for a moment before he chuckled and said, "Oh, I should have known. You _would_ choose a game like that."

"Hey, don't start teasing me now! We were just starting to have fun!" she whined.

He grinned. "Okay, okay, I won't. Do you have any sixes?"

"Ummm…awww…Mamoru-kun! Yes, here…" Pouting, she shoved it back under the door and Mamoru grinned. "Do you have any aces?"

"Nope, go fish, Usagi-chan!"  
"No way! Mamoru-kun, are you cheating!"

He laughed. "It's Go Fish, Usagi-chan. Why would I need to cheat?"

"Oooh! I won't let you win!"

"All right, then it's on, Usagi-chan! Give me your fives!"

"AAAAHH! Nooo!"

Mamoru's laughter poured out over her cries of dismay.

A half an hour later, they had played Go Fish three times, and Usagi had lost every single game. "I let you win, Mamoru-kun," she muttered petulantly as he slid the cards back into the box. He laughed.

"You wish, Usagi-chan. Admit it, you're terrible at Go Fish. You couldn't even keep track of the cards you wanted to get," he said, his voice colored with amusement.

"Hmph. Go Fish is a dumb game anyway," she muttered.

He grinned. "Now don't be a sore loser, Usagi-chan."

"Whatever, Mamoru-kun! Nyaaaaaah!"

Mamoru laughed again. "You are perhaps the silliest girl I've ever met, you know that?"

Usagi stared at the door, unsure how to respond to that comment. "Well—you're the most serious guy _I've_ ever met, Mamoru-kun! How about_ that?_"

This time his laughter was so loud and so honest that she jumped away from the door, staring at it as though it were going to morph into a man-eating monster any second and consume her whole. "U—Usagi-chan," he gasped as he began calming down, "That—that was supposed to be a compliment!"

Usagi was glad he couldn't see her face as a hot blush spread over it. "Oh," she said sheepishly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, his amusement still evident.

Usagi's face was warm for a good four or five minutes after that. Mamoru had stooped down so far as to give her a compliment! Maybe she needed to get locked in his closet more often…it sure did wonders for his personality. So far they had been sitting around for— "How much longer, Mamoru-kun?"

He glanced at his watch and smirked. "One hour and fifty-two minutes."

She sighed and then said resolutely, "Well then, we have to find something else to do!"

Mamoru smiled. She was being awfully good about this. He had expected her to go on crying and wailing for at least a half an hour and _never_ stop complaining. This…well, this was actually kind of fun. And they—the infamous Mamoru-baka and Odango Atama—were having civil, even chummy, conversation! It had to be some kind of miracle.

Usagi glanced around the interior of the closet, and then noticed the coats still hanging above her head. Hmm…three of them were Mamoru's… "Mamoru-kun, may I go through your pockets?"

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Lol Okay, so that ending isn't so fabulously perfect as I hoped, but you know, what can you do? There are only so many cliffhangery type breaks in a story where you document every minute a person is stuck in a closet. XD I hope you liked it anyway. :)

P.S. I hope I'm not being too disrespectful to the Emperor… Sorry, Mr. Emperor! -,-;;;


	4. Pocket Pilfering

Hey guys. I'm slightly late with the update...aren't I? XDDDDDDDd Anyway, it's here. Dun dun dun! Usagi's going to go through the pockets now! What ever will she find! I hope this chapter is interesting for you guys, because I had the hardest time coming up with interesting stuff to be left behind in Mamoru's pockets. :D I really hope you enjoy it, so make sure you comment and let me know what you thought!

Have fun. :D

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Usagi groaned and curled up, covering her head. "I'm going to die in your coat closet, Mamoru-kun." Usagi glanced around the interior of the closet, and then noticed the coats still hanging above her head. Hmm…three of them were Mamoru's… "Mamoru-kun, may I go through your pockets?"

Mamoru quirked an eyebrow. "Say what?"

"May I go through your pockets? It might give us something to talk about!" she explained cheerfully.

Mamoru bit his lip, furrowing his brow. He hadn't left anything embarrassing or weird in them…had he? After a minute or two of considering he consented apprehensively. "Uh…yeah, sure, I guess so, Usagi-chan."

She squealed happily and the door vibrated as she bumped into it during her little celebration. "Thank you, Mamoru-kun! Alright, let's see what's in the pockets of this awful green coat of yours."

Mamoru frowned at that. "'Awful?' What do you mean awful? That's a perfectly good coat!" he said defensively.

Usagi rolled her eyes as she dug her hand into the left pocket. "Mamoru-kun, you're a very good looking man, but this coat brings your attractiveness down by about six levels. How _old_ is it? It's the rattiest thing I've ever _seen_."

Mamoru blushed at the off-handed compliment; for once glad he wasn't face to face with her. "I don't know…I guess it's six or seven years old… I never really thought about how worn it is. You really think it's that bad?"

"Ugh," she said and he practically could see the expression of disgust on her face. "Yes. If it had a hey-day, it's long over Mamoru-kun. You should put the poor thing to rest."

Mamoru's face sunk at the thought of getting rid of his green coat. It was one of his favorites… "I don't know, Usagi-chan… I've had it for a really long time. I don't know if I could give it up like that…"

Usagi settled back down on the floor, spreading out the finds from the green coat's pockets and replied, "Oh…it's one of _those_ coats. I suppose you can keep it then."

"One of 'those' coats? What does that mean?" he asked dubiously.

"It's something you're holding on to more for memories and emotional attachment or it's a comfort blanket," she said, and held up one of the objects curiously, trying to make out what it was.

Mamoru considered this. "It's not memories…I hated high school," he murmured. "I guess it really is a comfort thing… Huh. I never thought about it like that before, Usagi-chan."

Usagi grinned. "Well that's the only way a guy as obviously well-versed in dressing as you are would wear a coat like that."

Mamoru blushed again. These compliments from her were making him feel oddly warm and tingly inside. It was weird. "You'd better knock it off with the compliments, Usagi-chan, you're going to inflate my head," he joked.

Usagi giggled. "Oh please, Mamoru-kun. We both know your head is already HUGE."

Mamoru chuckled. "Darn, you've seen right through me."

"Well it's sort of an obvious feature, isn't it?"

Mamoru let out a surprised laugh. "Usagi-chan, that was clever!"

She blushed happily and said, "Despite your opinions, I'm not a _complete_ air-head, Mamoru-kun."

A small wave of shame washed over Mamoru. He did say stuff like that to her, didn't he? Jeez, why was he so cruel to the poor girl? He cleared his throat uncomfortably and said, "So…uh, what did you find, Usagi-chan?"

She giggled and his heart thumped anxiously. What on earth _had_ she found? "Just a couple of things. There was a penny on the inside pocket, a bottle cap from a crème soda, and a little tiny key. Do you know what the key is for?" she asked curiously.

He furrowed his brow, thinking. "I'm not sure… Here, pass it to me and I'll see if I recognize it."

Usagi pushed the tiny key underneath the door and Mamoru's eyes widened in recognition as he picked it up. "Ohh. This key. Yeah. I know what it's to."

There were a few seconds of silence before Usagi said, "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what it's to?"

Mamoru blushed dully. "Uh…it's to a box. It's got some…um…important stuff in it." In truth, the key belonged to a small box hidden up in the top corner of the back of his closet, which was filled with little mementos of any meetings he had had with Sailor Moon. He had a scrap of her skirt which had torn off during one of their battles, the first rose he'd ever thrown for her, a photo of her one of the reporters had managed to snap, and a few other small things. But Usagi didn't need to know he had a collection of objects associated with Sailor Moon, she would think he was a complete psycho.

Usagi could tell from the way his voice sounded that he wasn't telling the whole truth, but she didn't press. "Oh! Well, that's interesting. On to the next jacket!" She scrambled to her feet, digging her hands into the pockets of a brown bomber jacket, pulling a number of things from the pockets. "Ooh, these ones have lots of stuff in them!" she exclaimed, sitting down excitedly to put them alongside the other discoveries. "There's a movie ticket to see…_Hello and Goodbye_…"

Mamoru smirked. She probably had no idea what that was. It was one of those artsy films that was only released in a few theatres.

"…A little keychain flashlight…Oooh, it works!" Mamoru chuckled. "Umm…let's see…there's a little folded up scrap of paper."

Mamoru sat up, frantically trying to remember what the paper had written on it. For the life of him, he couldn't remember. "Uh—"

"With a phone number on it. Ooh, Mamoru-kun, was it a hot date?" she asked playfully. Somewhere in the back of her mind the idea, surprisingly, bothered her.

Mamoru flushed despite his relief. "No, it was not a 'hot date', Usagi-chan. That's the phone number of my Professor from my organic chemistry class. I slept through an exam and I scrounged his number from somewhere so I could call and beg him to let me take the exam anyway."

Usagi squealed. "Serious, studious, sensible, _Chiba Mamoru_ slept through an exam?" she cried delightedly.

Mamoru smiled dryly at her excitement. "Yes, I did. But I was sick at the time, so I had an excuse."

"But STILL!" Usagi exclaimed. "That's blackmail information right there, Chiba-san."

He smirked. "If you say so, Usagi-chan."

"So did he let you take the exam?" she asked curiously as her excitement began to wane.

Mamoru nodded, though she couldn't see him. "He did. He was actually really great about it. Said he'd done the same thing before."

Usagi grinned. "You were lucky."

Mamoru's expression lightened and a small grin flickered across his lips. "I really was."

"Well, let's see what else you've got here… Oooh, hey this ones a wallet!"

Mamoru stared at the door. "A wallet?"

"Uh huh. It's brown. And about as worn as your green coat," she said. "I'm opening it."

"Uh…okay." He thought hard. It must be his old wallet, but why had he left it in the pocket of that jacket?

Suddenly Usagi squealed delightedly and he raised an eyebrow dubiously at the door. "What? What is it?"

"It's your ID from your junior year of high school! You're so cute!" she exclaimed. "Whatever happened to you?"

Mamoru shot a dry smile at the door. "Haha. Very funny. What else is in that thing? I haven't seen it in ages. I can't believe I never noticed it was in there. I guess I don't wear that jacket much though…"

He could hear the smile in Usagi's voice when she spoke again, "There's another picture of you, with Motoki-Onii-san. He looks like he's having so much fun…you do too, but you look a lot more uncomfortable."

Mamoru's eyes drifted out of focus as he saw the picture in his mind's eye. "Oh yeah… I forgot about that picture."

"What were you two doing?" Usagi asked, sure not to sound too eager.

"We were…we were at a theme park. It was this girl's birthday party. I think she invited me because she liked me. I wasn't going to go, but Motoki made me. He said it would be fun and I should get a date if I could, it would be good for me." A tiny smile crossed his face. "I missed out on the date. She tried to kiss me and I accidentally pushed her into the fountain."

Usagi's giggles were loud and delighted. "You didn't!"

"I did." He grinned. "She swore she hated me after that, and I wasn't invited to her pool party at the end of the year. Motoki told me he had never laughed harder in his entire life."

Usagi continued giggling. "I bet not! I can't believe you pushed her into a _fountain!_" she exclaimed in disbelief.

He grinned sheepishly. "It was just reflex, I guess. She was trying to kiss me, and…well, I panicked."

"I'll have to remember never to try and kiss you then," Usagi declared, and then there was a sudden embarrassed silence as the full meaning of her words registered. They were quiet, the cogs in both of their heads set turning. It was a few minutes before Usagi cleared her throat and said with slightly forced enthusiasm, "There's a very nice pen in here too! A gum wrapper—I didn't know you liked watermelon—and lots of lint."

Mamoru smiled slowly and uncertainly, still recovering from her glib remark. The idea of kissing Usagi had sent his stomach into gymnastic tumbles that were oddly pleasant.

"On to the last coat!" she declared and got to her feet, brushing off her skirt, carefully avoiding the little stockpile of treasures on the floor of the closet before reaching into the pockets of the final coat. "Why have you got a tuxedo jacket in your coat closet anyway, Mamoru-kun?"

Mamoru's eyes widened and he turned, "Um—maybe you shouldn't look in that—"

"How pretty…" he heard her murmur.

Oh _no_…

"This is funny Mamoru-kun, have you worn this recently? There's a fully bloomed rose in here!" she said, marveling at the perfect specimen in her hands.

Mamoru put his head in his hands. What on EARTH had possessed him to leave his tuxedo coat, with transforming rose included, in his coat closet! "Uh…yeah. I must have. Um…right, there was this…thing the other night."

"Ooh, something formal? What was it? I bet you look really wonderful in a tuxedo…" she said quietly.

Mamoru looked up at that, and glanced back at the door. Boy, with all these compliments, he might start to get the wrong idea about her feelings toward him… Strangely enough, instead of disgusting him…the thought excited him. "Um…it was…a school function. It was really boring actually," he lied. Right. Sailor battle, boring. Ha!

"Oh, that's too bad." She sat down, tenderly holding the rose between her fingers. There was something about it that made her want to just keep holding it, unlike the rest of the treasures. "Well, that's everything," she said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Oh. Darn…" Mamoru murmured. He wasn't really sorry though. Now he could stop wondering what awful, embarrassing things she might find. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Usagi-chan, why don't you go through _your_ pockets? Tell me about what's in them. You did actually put your coat in there, right?" he added lightheartedly.

Usagi smiled. "That's a great idea, Mamoru-kun!" She sat up on her knees, not having to reach so high for the pockets of her long coat. She giggled quietly to herself as she pulled out a number of small things and then piled them on the floor beside Mamoru's things. "All right, I've got…" she giggled again. "…A movie ticket from when I went to see _Going Down Hard_ with Minako-chan a month ago. It was a good movie! Have you seen it Mamoru-kun?"

He rolled his eyes but replied with a smile, "No, Usagi-chan, I haven't seen that movie."

"Ooh, you should! It's very romantic."

Mamoru laughed. "I'm sure it is."

"Umm… I've got…oh…" From outside the closet, Mamoru could practically see her face sinking.

"What is it?" he asked, concern somehow creeping its way into his voice.

"It's…a math quiz," she said dejectedly.

Mamoru immediately understood. "Oh. Another bad grade."

Usagi winced at the blunt statement. Somehow it hurt that much worse, hearing him say with such ease how normal it was for her to be getting bad grades. And now, with everything going so well…it only reminded her of how much he really hated her and that all of the nice conversation, the laughing, and the kind Mamoru would all go away after she was released from his coat closet. The thought of that moment made her feel sick. It made her want to remain locked up inside his closet forever. Before she knew what she was saying she had whispered miserably, "Mamoru-kun…why do you hate me so much?"

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OOOOOOOH! It's almost a real cliffhanger! lol :D What will Mamoru say!


	5. A Turn for the Better?

Woo. XD I'm a little late, aren't I? Sorry about that peeps, my dad got back into town last Mondayand so I've been a little distracted. :) Anyway, I hope this little chapter is worth the wait. I will let you know right now that the next chapter hasn't been written yet, and my arm (I've got mild carpal tunnel --;;;) has been acting up, so _hopefully_ the chapter will be up next week, but I guarantee nothing. So yes. Hopefully. :D

Anyways, enjoy the story, and thank you soooooooooo much for all the fantastic comments, they have definitely helped reassure me and make me want to finish this story. :D

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Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and Mamoru and Usagi don't belong to me. :(

* * *

For a split second, Mamoru wasn't entirely sure that he had actually heard her say anything. But then he realized what she had said and a suffocating sense of guilt and shock settled over him. "What?" he responded, his voice almost as quiet as hers. She thought he _hated_ her? God, was he really that bad?

His heart gave a horrible, halting lurch when she answered him. "Why—d—do you h—hate me so much?" she whispered again, choking on the words. She was crying. He had made her cry. And not that ridiculous, horrific wailing screech she usually projected at him. No, this was crying that he couldn't even really hear. Quiet sniffling and whimpering, muffled by the door and probably her hands too as she tried in vain to stop or at least hide it. Crying with actual tears, from actual hurt. Hurt that _he_ had caused her. His guilt was overwhelming. How could he be such a complete and utter baka?

"Usagi-chan," he finally managed, "I don't hate you."

"Th—then why are you s—so mean to me?" she asked wretchedly, and he squeezed his eyes shut, his stomach churning. He was the horrible person she always told him that he was. He made fun of a teenaged girl, yanking away whatever feeling of self-worth she had, and making a mockery of all of her worst insecurities at a time when her insecurities were her _worst_ enemy. She was right. He was heartless.

"Usagi-chan," he whispered, finding it incredibly painful to try and explain his actions. "I…" He sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair, and sat up, turning to face the door, pressing his hands against it and leaning his forehead against it as though that would help him communicate how abysmal he felt at the moment. "I don't have a good reason," he finally concluded. "I don't know why I'm so awful to you Usagi-chan. I…It's like I can't control myself when I'm around you. Once I said the first mean thing when we met, it was like I opened the floodgates, and I couldn't _stop_. I don't hate you, I never could, and I honestly couldn't tell you why I say the things I do. After our arguments I usually walk away kicking myself, wondering why I couldn't be nice to you just _once_. You don't have a mean bone in your body, and I, apparently, don't have a nice one in mine." He paused and then exhaled slowly, saying seriously, "Usagi-chan, I don't say I'm sorry. I haven't said it to anyone in my entire life—aside from Motoki-kun. But I'm going to say it to you now: I am so sorry. I wish I could take back every mean thing I've ever said to you and do it all over again. It's obvious you're a wonderful person, and I don't know why I've gone so far as to completely sabotage any chance I'll ever have at having a friend like you. So…I'm sorry. I…I hope you can somehow forgive me," he whispered.

This hurt. It hurt more than he could bear. Everything he'd just said, all of it was true, and none of it would probably make any difference to her. God, he was such a miserable excuse for a human being.

Inside the closet he could hear her still sniffling, and now he could actually hear the sounds of her breathing hitching as she sobbed. He was lucky no one was here to see this, they would probably murder him on the spot for doing something to make happy-go-lucky Usagi break down in tears like this. He just—

"I forgive you."

Mamoru swore that his heart stopped at that moment. "What?" he whispered to the door, hardly daring to hope he'd actually heard her right. Surely after all the degrading things he'd done to her she wouldn't—

"I forgive you," she repeated, softly, and gently.

It took him a moment, but finally he whispered, "_Why?_"

At this she gave a wavery little laugh. "Why not? You said you were sorry. How could I not? Besides…I told you earlier that my instincts about people were always right. I think you deserve a second chance. I've seen the Mamoru-kun that I thought you were when I first saw you."

Mamoru's throat constricted painfully and he bowed his head, choking on the torrent of emotions she had just flooded him with. How could she do this to him! But now he understood why everyone was always astonished when they found out how he treated Usagi. She really was incredible… He buried his head in his hands and turned away from the door. From now on, he would be kinder to her than he had ever been to anyone he had ever known. He owed her at least that much.

"Mamoru-kun?" she said, her voice small and concerned. "Are you okay? I can hear you breathing—it sounds funny."

"I'm fine," he said, his voice rough and thick. It was ridiculous how much emotion this one girl could send ripping through him.

He could hear the frown in her voice. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said. "I promise." As the wave of emotion abated, he took a shaky breath and leaned his head back against the door. "Thank you, Usagi-chan," he whispered.

"For what?" she asked innocently.

He smiled bitterly, "For forgiving me."

Her voice suddenly became sharp. "Mamoru-kun, don't go beating yourself up for this! You already apologized! It's done, it's over."

"But Usagi-chan—"

"It's over!"

"Okay," he murmured. Silence followed. Then uncomfortably, "So…um…what now, Usagi-chan? You still have...approximately fifty-four minutes in the closet."

She groaned. "Are you serious? I thought the pockets would take up way more time then that!"

He chuckled, awkwardly at first, but slowly began warming up to the new feeling of their chatting. He and Usagi had a _relationship_. And a _good_ one. He couldn't help smiling to himself in wonder of it.

She sighed. "I don't know. Let me think…" She was quiet for a few minutes and Mamoru's thoughts drifted to how things were going to be now. He was going to have to be careful not to revert to his old ways. But being able to see Usagi, and greet her, and have the fun, casual conversations about nothing that she had with Motoki and with her friends…that was going to be the fun part. It would be like getting to know her all over again.

"Ooh, I know!" she exclaimed suddenly. "We'll play a word association game!"

Mamoru grinned slowly. "A word association game?"

"Yeah! You know, I'll say a word, and then you tell me what comes to mind! That way I can get to know you! I mean, other than those really icky thick books you read, and your great taste in clothes, and um…yeah. New stuff!"

It sent a pang through his heart to know that that was all she could associate with him, but he was about to amend that, and that made it that much less painful. "All right, Usagi-chan. Go ahead."

"Um…okay…teddy bear."

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Dumb."

"Dumb!" Usagi cried. "Mamoru-kun, how could you say that!"

Mamoru was amused by her reaction. "What do you mean how could I say that? They're dumb. It's a bunch of fuzzy cloth with cotton stuffed into it. What's the point?"

Usagi gasped incredulously. "_You_ obviously never had a teddy bear!"

"No, actually I didn't, Usagi-chan," he replied smartly.

Usagi was quiet for a second and Mamoru was afraid he had said something wrong. Then she asked softly, "You didn't? Why not?"

Mamoru glanced at the door as if to see if she were serious. "I just didn't. No one ever gave me one."

"Your parents never gave you a teddy bear?" she replied in astonishment.

Mamoru picked at the carpet fibers. "Well, they might have, but I don't remember. They died when I was six, Usagi-chan." He just barely heard her gasp.

"Oh Mamoru…"

He flushed. "It's not that big a deal," he said, knowing that he was lying through his teeth.

"Of course it is!" she insisted. "You're so ornery because you never had a teddy bear!"

Mamoru couldn't help laughing in surprise. She was good at doing that… "What?"

"Well, it's obvious isn't it? If you had gotten a teddy bear from your parents, you would be perfectly normal. But you never had a teddy bear to love!" she explained.

Mamoru smiled in amusement. "Oh, is that what's wrong with me?"

"Absolutely! I'll have to get you a teddy bear."

He laughed. "You do that Usagi-chan." He would later be stunned when Usagi actually bought him a small, soft, dark brown teddy bear with a bright red bow around its neck. He didn't really expect anything like that from her. But she was full that kind of little surprise.

"All right, next word," she announced. "Ice cream."

"Cold."

She laughed and he felt his heart flutter in his chest. "Well, _duh_. Snow."

"Um…cold."

Again she laughed, this time louder. A grin split his face, a warm feeling expanding in his chest as he realized that he was the one making her laugh. "Mamoru-kun, you can't use the same word! Pick something else!"

He smiled and then after thinking for a second said, "Beautiful."

Usagi's voice was smiling and gently teasing when she spoke. "Aw, is the hardhearted Mamoru-kun showing a softer side of himself?" He smiled, but didn't reply. "Aardvark."

More surprised laughter. "Usagi-chan, are you serious?"

She grinned. "No. But I caught you off guard, didn't I?"

He smirked. "You got me."

"Dancing."

"Uncomfortable."

"Aw, really?"

"Really. Dancing with some fawning girl is not my idea of fun."

"Well you'll just have to dance with a girl who isn't fawning sometime and find out if it makes a difference!" she said optimistically.

Mamoru smiled. "Are you volunteering?"

Usagi blushed. 'Does he mean that?' "Um, sure, if you want me to."

Mamoru's eyes widened and a soft blush spread over his cheeks. Well he hadn't expected _that_. "How 'bout I give you some words now?" he finally said, clearing his throat.

Usagi nodded vigorously. "Okay!"

"Cockroach."

"Ewww, gross, Mamoru-kun!"

He laughed. "Okay, okay sorry, I couldn't resist. Rain."

"Refreshing."

"Roses."

"…love."

Mamoru's cheeks warmed.

"You know, it's kind of funny that this rose hasn't wilted yet," Usagi commented, reminding him that she had his transformation rose in the closet with her. It was a good thing Sailor Moon was keeping out of trouble today, because he would have been helpless to go to her rescue.

"That is kind of funny," he murmured. "Um…Tuxedo Kamen."

Usagi giggled. "That's two words silly. But I'll tell you anyway. Gorgeous."

For the second time since their little ordeal had begun, he was incredibly glad that there was a wooden door between them and she couldn't see his face. He coughed a few times in embarrassment, oddly flattered by her indirect compliment.

"Are you okay, Mamoru-kun?" she asked innocently.

"Eh, heh. Yeah. I'm fine," he muttered. "So um…how about…coffee?"

Usagi grinned, "I think of you Mamoru-kun. It's all you ever drink."

He grinned, "That's not true."

"Uh huh, sure." Then she sighed. "_Now _how much time, Mamoru-kun?"

Mamoru smiled and glanced at his watch. "You've got just another twenty seven minutes in my closet left."

"Really!" she squealed delightedly.

"Really," he replied. It was amazing how quickly the time had gone.

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They're almost out of the woods! XD


	6. Sweet Freedom

OMJ. THE LAST CHAPTER! freaks out I know you're all excited and all, but you have no idea how proud I am that I actually FINISHED THIS THING. I don't finish stories. Like...EVER. So this is a big step. I'm currently wigging out. Yeah. Anyway. I'm sorry about the huge delay. My arm was being really ghetto, and then school started, and there was just never a really great time to finish writing this. I finally decided it just needed to be done.

So yes! This is the final chapter of the story! There _will_ be an epilogue for those of you yearning for a little bit more fluff. It WILL be up next week, I'm actually going to write it right after I post this. I'm really pleased with how this came out overall. I was concerned about the last chapter because I hadn't quite figured out how to end it. I apologize if some of it's a bit rough, I didn't re-read it because I just wanted to post it for you guys and I was afraid I might not like it anymore and change my mind. XDDDDDD

Um...yeah. I apologize again for sucking at updating. I hope you like this chapter. And the epilogue when it gets posted. Kay. LOVE YOU GUYS! YOU ROCK!

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Mamoru smiled and glanced at his watch. "You've got just another twenty seven minutes in my closet left."

"Really?!" she squealed delightedly. Mamoru couldn't help being amused.

"I'm almost free!" Usagi cried and he laughed.

"Gee, Usagi-chan, you can't even sit and talk to me for three hours without getting antsy?" he teased.

"Ooh, you're a funny one, aren't you?" Usagi replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mamoru grinned. "I like to think so, yes."

"NYAH." Usagi stuck her tongue out at the door.

"I saw that."

"_Liar_."

"Prove it."

Usagi made a face. "Whatever Mamoru-kun!"

He laughed. "So when you're finally released from my closet, are we still going to go through with the tutoring for today?"

Usagi groaned and let her head fall against the door. "Why did you have to remind me about that?"

Mamoru smirked. "Well it is the reason you're even stuck in my closet, remember?"

"That just proves studying is bad for me," she replied flippantly.

"Somehow, I don't think our teachers will see it the same way. Tell you what, I'll give you today off for reasons of traumatic events, but tomorrow we actually have to work when we get together. Deal?" he bargained.

Usagi grinned. "Deal!"

"Great. Well, when you're finally released, I should probably take you home…it's already past six," he said, glancing at his watch again.

"Aw, _man_. Mom's going to KILL me!" Usagi moaned. "I had chores to do!"

Mamoru smiled. "I can tell her we just got so wrapped up in studying that we lost the time, if you want…"

Usagi immediately pressed up against the door, "Really? You would do that for me?"

Mamoru laughed. "I don't see why not. I seriously doubt your mother would approve of the OTHER excuse you could provide."

Usagi blushed and nodded. "Yeah, she probably wouldn't like that one very much. Ooh, Mamoru-kun, thank you!"

He smiled. "It's the least I can do, Usagi-chan."

Usagi smiled at the door and said, "See, I'm _always_ right."

Mamoru quirked an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at the closet door. "What?"

"About people. My first impression of you was right," she said.

Mamoru flushed, remembering what she had said. It seemed like ages ago. He was still trying to decide how he should respond when the doorbell rang.

Usagi gasped. "Is it them?!"

Mamoru smiled slightly and pushed himself to his feet. "I don't know Usagi, I have to get to the door first."

"Nyah! Shut up, jerkface."

Mamoru smirked at the closet. He much preferred this new, teasing tone of voice to the old upset version. He opened the front door and immediately let out a small breath of relief. "Oh, good. You're here. He's here, Usagi-chan!"

A cheer rose up from the closet and Mamoru smiled weakly at the locksmith. "Uh, we had a little mishap."

The locksmith bit back a grin and nodded. "I see. May I come in?"

Mamoru nodded. "Oh right, of course. Please."

The locksmith stepped in and made a beeline for the closet door. After glancing at the lock and then giving the door a once over he turned back to Mamoru looking a little bemused.

"Um, sir? Why didn't you just lift the pins in the hinges out?" he asked uncertainly.

Mamoru stared at him for a minute before clapping his hand to his forehead. "Oh, for _heaven's sakes! _I can't believe I'm so stupid!"

"Um, excuse me, guys! I'm still in the closet!" Usagi called and Mamoru blushed.

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Usagi-chan."

"Come on, just open the door!" she whined and Mamoru could hear her hopping from foot to foot anxiously.

"Excuse me, sir," the locksmith said, gently waving him out of the way as he set down his toolbox.

Mamoru stepped back, eyeing the closet door with a mix of exasperation and apprehension. He and Usagi had forged some kind of new connection while she was trapped in his closet. He wasn't sure how that was going to work, once they could see each other again and after she left his apartment. What if it was just a temporary truce? What if things went back to the way they had been? What if he kept making fun of her and she decided she really did hate him? His stomach twisted, and he felt ill. He couldn't handle it if that happened. Something had changed in the way he would look at her from now on, and he couldn't handle it if it hadn't changed for her as well.

"Wait—hold on a sec—" Mamoru stopped the locksmith as he started shimmying out the bottom pin. The guy looked up at him curiously. "Uh—" Mamoru rubbed the back of his neck. "Would—would you mind just—um, going into the living room for a minute?"

The guy's eyebrows went up slightly, but he nodded and got to his feet. "Yeah, sure."

"Thanks," Mamoru nodded gratefully and watched as the man made his way into the living room.

He was still looking in that direction when Usagi called from inside the closet, "What's going on? Why am I not out yet?"

Mamoru couldn't resist a small smile. "I asked him to stop for a second Usagi-chan."

"What?! Mamoru, I've been stuck in this closet for HOURS. Let me out of here!"

He swallowed. "I wanted to talk to you first."

"You've been talking to me for hours! You can continue talking to me when I'm NOT INSIDE THIS CLOSET!"

"Look, I don't think I'll have the guts to talk to you when you're not in there, so just give me a minute, would you? What's five more minutes?" he pleaded.

Usagi huffed irritably and said, "Oh, fine. Talk."

"Thank you." He paused for a second and then said quietly, "Things are going to be like this from now on…right, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi stared at the door. "What? Like what?"

He grimaced. "You know…pleasant. You'll still…_like_ me after this."

"Of course I will. Stop being silly, Mamoru-kun, and get me out of here," she said exasperatedly.

"No, Usagi-chan, please. You have to promise me things won't go back to the way they were. I don't think I could deal with that," he said.

Usagi softened. "Mamoru-kun, I don't things could go back to the way they were even if I wanted them to."

"So from now on—we can be…friends?" he said tentatively.

"_Yes_. Can I get out of the closet now?"

Mamoru smiled. "Yeah, okay, Usagi-chan. Just a minute." He went into the living room and waved the locksmith back in. "Sorry."

The man shrugged and smiled slightly, "No problem." He quickly shimmied the two pins out of the hinges and he and Mamoru wiggled the door out of the frame. They leaned it against the wall, and Mamoru smirked as Usagi blinked in the bright hall light. She was adorable. He held out his hand for her to take and she stepped uncertainly out of the closet.

"My eyeeeeesss," she moaned and Mamoru and the locksmith laughed.

"Just give them a couple of minutes, Usagi-chan. They'll adjust," he said, amused.

The locksmith smiled at them. "I'm going to remove this key and then I'll put the door back on its hinges. If you want a new key, you can come down to the shop. Until then, I recommend staying out of the closet, sir."

Mamoru grinned as Usagi blushed. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"No problem."

As the locksmith went back to work, Usagi and Mamoru stood there, staring at their hands and the floors, fidgeting uncertainly. It was a little more difficult now that they really were face to face. Finally Mamoru spoke quietly. "Um, when he's finished up, I can take you home, if that's okay."

Usagi nodded vigorously, glancing up at him. "Yeah, that would be great!"

"Okay. Great." There was another brief silence. "Do you want me to pick you up after school again for tutoring tomorrow?" he asked uncertainly.

Usagi nodded again. "Yeah. Let's not go to your apartment though. It's dangerous."

A small smile flickered across Mamoru's lips. "Okay. Is Crown Parlor okay? Will you be able to focus?"

Usagi blushed. "I think so. As long as you're there."

Mamoru's cheeks warmed at the thought of his presence being her control. He kind of liked the idea of being Usagi's stabilizer. "Okay. Great."

They fell silent again and stared around the room, nervous, but not quite uncomfortable. Finally the locksmith finished up and he announced, "All done. That'll be a hundred and thirty-six dollars and twelve cents."

Mamoru cringed and pulled out his wallet to hand the man his cash. There went the money he was planning on spending on books. "Thanks," he muttered to the locksmith.

He flashed him a smile. "No problem. Don't forget to have a new key made."

"Thanks." Mamoru led him to the door and tilted his head at Usagi. "Get your stuff, Usagi-chan, we can go now."

Blushing, she grabbed her things and pulled her coat from the closet, careful to keep the door open. "Thank you, Mamoru-kun. I'm so sorry," she said breathlessly as he locked the front door behind them.

He shrugged and shot her a quick smile. "Ah, what can you do? It's okay." He headed down the hallway, and Usagi tagged along behind him nervously. He seemed a lot handsomer when he was being nice to her.

A few feet ahead, Mamoru was thinking along the same lines. 'She's always been cute…but why didn't I ever notice how big her eyes are? Isn't that something kind of hard to miss?' he wondered. 'This is weird. I can't be thinking about her like this. She's way too young for me. We don't have anything in common!'

Usagi noticed the increase in tension. She nibbled on her fingernail nervously. 'I hope he's not regretting this. What if he starts being mean again? I like him nice like this… Studying might not be so bad…' When they had gotten downstairs and Mamoru was only becoming tenser and tenser in the quiet, Usagi finally decided she couldn't take it anymore. "Mamoru-kun, is everything okay?" she blurted as they headed outside.

Mamoru glanced back at her in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"

She looked up at him anxiously. "You've been getting tense. Are we…okay?"

Mamoru couldn't help a hot flush from spreading across his face. Here he was debating whether or not he could, in good conscience, date a fourteen-year-old girl and she was wondering if everything was okay between them. "Yeah, everything's fine. I was just, um, thinking."

"Oh, okay," Usagi said nodding in understanding, even though Mamoru was fairly certain she really didn't understand. The rest of the walk to Usagi's house, just a few blocks away from Mamoru's apartment complex, was quiet. They tried starting up a conversation a couple of times, but forcing it didn't seem to help and they quickly fell back into silence after each attempt. When they finally reached Usagi's house, they paused out front, unsure of how to end things. After several minutes of standing there uncertainly, eyes roaming everywhere but the other person, Mamoru cleared his throat and spoke.

"So…um, I'll see you tomorrow after school then?"

Usagi nodded, her relief apparent. "Yeah!"

"Okay. Great."

Usagi fidgeted a little, and Mamoru's inner-battle continued furiously. 'Just ask her to do something! It doesn't have to be a big deal! But you're tutoring her, you idiot! If something goes wrong, you're BOTH screwed!' Unfortunately, they were interrupted before the debate could be settled.

"MOM! Usagi's home!" a boy shouted from the porch. "And she's with a BOY!"

Usagi groaned and put her head in her hands. "Oooh, SHINGO! You little brat! I'm going to kill you!" she shouted.

"Tsukino Usagi! You were supposed to be home two hours ago!" her mother shouted, joining a smug Shingo on the porch. "You have chores to do!"

Usagi sighed. "Mom, it wasn't my fault!" she protested.

"Don't you start making excuses, young lady. You just march your little butt inside and get to work!" she replied angrily.

Mamoru followed as Usagi began approaching the house and he cleared his throat, speaking up. "Um, Tsukino-sama? It's actually my fault she's late—"

"And we're going to be having a talk about THAT too!" she said, glaring pointedly at Usagi, who blushed furiously.

"MOM! It's not like that! He's my tutor!"

This statement stopped Ikuko in her tracks. "Your _what?_" she said, flabbergasted.

"My tutor. We were assigned tutors today in school, Mom," she said, rolling her eyes.

Ikuko looked at Mamoru. "Is this true?"

Mamoru nodded humbly. "Yes, ma'am. I go to the KO University. We were all assigned tutoring buddies from Juba."

"Well, then," she said, suddenly calming down considerably. "If _that's_ what you've been doing I suppose I can let this one slide."

"_What?_" Shingo howled. "No fair, Mom!"

"Get back inside, Shingo, you're not finished with your chores!" she snapped and Shingo headed back inside, grumbling mutinously.

"I'm sorry I'm so late, Mom," Usagi said, slathering it on. "We were working really hard and I lost track of the time."

"I'll try not to let it happen again, Tsukino-same," Mamoru added sincerely, smiling inwardly at how conniving Usagi could be.

By now, Ikuko was completely softened up. "Oh, that's all right dear. If it's got you studying, then I don't care how long you're out." She leaned toward Usagi and muttered, "And how can I blame you when your tutor looks like that?"

Usagi's face turned bright red and she squealed. "MOM!"

Ikuko grinned mischievously and said off-handedly, "Well, I'll go inside and let you say goodbye to your new tutor. Just don't stay out very long. You DO have chores to get done, Usagi-chan. And your grades had get better after this young lady. I won't accept any more C's and D's if you've got a tutor."

Usagi's face flushed in embarrassment. "Okay, _thank you, Mom_," she said pointedly. She chuckled and headed back inside, leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone again. "Oh my gosh, sorry Mamoru-kun. My family is totally wacko," she said apologetically.

Mamoru smiled. "I don't know, I kind of like them."

Usagi smiled too. "They grow on you. Thank you for walking me home." After a moment's hesitation she added, "I'm really glad you're my tutor."

Mamoru's cheeks warmed slightly. "Me too. I'm glad you got stuck in my closet, too," he said in a stage whisper.

Usagi grinned. "Me too." They stood there, looking at one another for a minute before she said reluctantly, "Well, I really better get inside."

"Yeah. Um, bye Usagi-chan. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she said. They both smiled hesitantly and then Usagi turned to go inside.

She had almost reached the door when Mamoru put a foot on the first step and called out, "Wait—Usagi-chan—just a second."

She turned and Mamoru was surprised to see something like hope in her eyes. "Yes?"

He licked his lips and then said quickly, "Do you—maybe want to, you know, do something with me sometime?"

Usagi could barely suppress an elated grin. "Sure, that sounds great!"

Mamoru looked up at her, his eyes going wide. "Really?"

"Yeah!" she nodded vigorously, her eyes glittering in the dusky light.

A grin slithered its way across Mamoru's face and he looked down, trying to contain his own elation. "Oh, okay, great. We…we can talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!"

"_Usagi-chan!_" came Ikuko's warning voice from inside the house.

"I really gotta go Mamoru-kun. I'll see you tomorrow though."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Usagi-chan," he said earnestly and watched as she bounced to the door and slipped inside. His face was starting to ache from how wide his grin was. Now _this_ was how things should be. Thank God for his stupid closet. The hundred and thirty dollars were more than worth it for this.

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	7. Epilogue Together

Okay guys, here's your fluffly epilogue! This is the end! 'tear' I hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks so much for all your encouragement and all of your lovely reviews, they were much appreciated. :D

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The bell on the Arcade door jingled cheerily as Usagi raced inside, delight and pride emanating from her entire body. "Mamo-chan!" she cried gleefully, coming to stop next to the stool where Mamoru sat, "Look! I got a ninety!" 

Mamoru turned, smiling proudly at her. "That's fantastic, Usako!" he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close so he could tenderly press a kiss to her forehead. "All that studying has really been paying off!"

Usagi smiled happily, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I know. Who'da thunk it?"

Mamoru grinned. "I for one, had my doubts. You make concentrating on studying extremely hard, you know that Usa?"

She grinned mischievously. "Who, _me? _Never."

"Yes _you_," he replied softly and leaned forward, catching her lips with his. Usagi melted into his arms, returning the kiss with fervor.

Motoki returned from the back room and immediately smiled. "Hey you two, why don't you get a room?" he teased.

Usagi immediately pulled away from Mamoru, yanking out her test excitedly. "Motoki-onii-san! Look!" she said.

Mamoru sighed and shot Motoki a dry look. "You know, sometimes it's very tempting to seriously injure you, Motoki-kun."

Motoki grinned wickedly. "I can't help it. It's my innate charm."

"Yeah. You and your innate charm are going to get it one of these days," Mamoru muttered good-naturedly.

"Motoki-onii-san, you didn't look!" Usagi whined waving the paper eagerly.

Motoki chuckled and took the paper, observing the grade at the top. "Wow, Usagi-chan!" he said, sounding impressed. "A ninety! That's great!"

She grinned happily. "I know!"

Mamoru snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her back to him and said in a low voice, "We'll have to go somewhere special on our next date to celebrate."

Usagi squealed, her attention returning to her boyfriend. "Really, Mamo-chan? We can go to dinner there? You promise?"

He smiled. "Absolutely, Usako. We'll make a night of it."

"You're the BEST, Mamo-chan!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

Mamoru grinned, pleased with her reaction and nuzzled his face into her hair, drawing in a good breath of her intoxicating smell. "We'll go this weekend. Saturday, okay?"

Usagi nodded, her tiny frame still clinging to his. "That's perfect, Mamo-chan. Thank you so much. I love you…"

Mamoru's heart swelled and he held her even more tightly. "And I you, Usako."

"So, a chocolate shake, right Usagi-chan?" Motoki said cheerfully.

Usagi immediately turned her eyes widening with delight. "Oooh, yes!"

Mamoru shot Motoki a dirty look and he grinned at him as he slid Usagi the shake. She finally sat down on her own stool and began slurping happily away at the shake. Motoki slid Mamoru a fresh coffee and said, "You know, you still haven't told me exactly what happened between you two to result in…_this_."

Mamoru smiled secretively. "Let's just say…a few things were finally let out of the closet."

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'snicker snicker' So that's the conclusion of our story. Thanks for reading guys. :D 


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